“Men who carry a cellphone in their pants pocket may harm their sperm and reduce their chances of having children, a new review warns,” Robert Preidt reports for HealthDay News.

“The research team analyzed the findings of 10 studies that examined how cellphone exposure may affect male fertility. Among men with no exposure to cellphones, 50 percent to 85 percent of their sperm had a normal ability to move towards an egg,” Preidt reports. “That fell by an average of 8 percent among men exposed to cellphones. Similar effects were seen for sperm viability, which refers to the proportion of sperm that were alive, according to the study published June 9 in the journal Environment International. The effects of cellphone exposure on sperm concentration (the number of sperm per unit of semen) were unclear, the investigators noted.”

Preidt reports, “Most adults worldwide own mobile phones, and about 14 percent of couples in middle- and high-income nations have difficulty conceiving, the researchers said.”